Sonnen: The CM Punk Story Is Mistold

The most “pro wrestling” fighter in MMA, Chael Sonnen, feels that former WWE Champion and current UFC fighter CM Punk’s story has been mistold.

On his most Beyond The Fight podcast, Sonnen discussed how Punk was miscast when he left the WWE in 2014 and jumped ship to the UFC.

“I’ve always liked the CM Punk story, and I’ve always thought the story was mistold,” Sonnen said on his very own Beyond the Fight podcast.

“It was always kind of a perception that you were getting a big-named guy coming over, who was going to suck all the air out of the room. Just because he’s a big-named guy, he doesn’t deserve it.”

Punk, who returns to face Mike Jackson at UFC 225 in Chicago, was “willing to put it on the line,” according to Sonnen. “He committed fully and immersed himself to this goal in the sport of MMA. And that was a pretty cool and brave thing to do. He went out there, way over his head, and tried. And when it didn’t go his way, he said ‘I want to try again.’”

“He didn’t go back to the fake wrestling; he didn’t go do any of that stuff. He could have. (Instead), he said ‘I want to try that again,’ continued to immerse himself, continued to sacrifice, and now he’s gonna take off his shirt in his hometown and walk out there.”

The current Bellator analyst feels that the story is how Punk has worked to earn his place on the roster instead of the idea that he barged in and took opportunities away from others.

“That is the story,” Sonnen said. “It’s not the other way around that this big star came over and he’s leaving with all the money and all the attention and filling up the main card, taking spots and opportunities away from other people. It’s not that.”